CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago police officer has been honored for diffusing a situation with an individual who was having a mental health episode.
Several months ago, Officer Chuck Trendle responded to a call at the Access Community Health Network center, where he used de-escalation techniques to get a woman to go to an in-patient care facility.
Trendle has taught the techniques at the Chicago Police Department’s academy.
The team at Access Community Health recognized officer Trendle on Wednesday as a community champion for his work.
“You can’t just sit there and heavy-handed say, ‘You’re going to jail,’ or ‘You’re going to the hospital, whether you like it or not.’ You have to treat them humanely,” Trendle said.
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